Adjustable hinge assembly



May 17, 1966 Q K, BOUNDY 3,251,088

ADJUSTABLE HINGE ASSEMBLY Filed Feb. '7, 1964 ERIK-TQ 1N VENTOR.

Bmw@ C Bouwe@ United States Patent O 3,251,088 ADJUSTABLE HINGE ASSEMBLY Bruce K. Boundy, Canton, Ohio, assignor to Ekco Products Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Dela-V Ware Filed Feb. 7, 1964, ser. No. 343,362 1o claims. (ci. its- 151) This invention relates to a hinge assembly wherein the pivot member has its turning axis established via a bearing member which is adjustable relative to its mounting so as to occupy selected positions along a fixed line of travel in radially extending relation to the turning axis.

A hinge assembly incorporating features of this invention is especially useful in door installations since it permits the shifting of the turning axis as needed to maintain proper registry between the edges of'the door and the frame of the doorway or boundaries of the closure area in reference to which the door swings between closed and open positions.

An important object of thisinvention is to provide a hinge assembly of the character indicated which may be conveniently installed and which is simple and efiicient in use whereby accurate registration of the door edges and the boundaries of the doorway rwith which the door is operatively associated may be readilymaintained.

It is also an important object of this invention to provide a hinge assembly as indicated which incorporates novel means for effecting adjustment of the bearing member and for positively locking the bearing member against unintentional displacement from a selected adjusted position.

These and other more specific objects will become more apparent and the invention itself will be best understood by reference to the following description of an embodiment of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary side view of a door mounting utilizing a hinge assembly in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 .is an enlarged lexploded perspective view showing the parts of the-hinge assembly in disassembled relationship.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged section taken along a vertical plane containing the longitudinal median line of the bearing mounting member shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the bearing member.

FIG. 5 is a vertical section taken along line 5 5 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a vertical section similar to FIG. 5 illustrating a modified version of the adjusting means for controlling the adjusted position ofthe bearing member.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, a typical door installation in connection with which the present invention is shown includes a door 10 and a doorway area defined by an upper -frame 11, a floor 12, and an upright joint 13 spanning the distance -between the frame 11 and oor 12 along one side of the doorway area.

A pivot pin 14 secured to and projecting upwardly from the top edge of the door 10 is received in a bearing member 15 forming part of an upper hinge assembly, and a pivot pin 16 secured to and projecting downwardly from the bottom edge of the door 10 in cooperation with a bearing member 17 of a lower hinge assembly to define an axis about which the door 10 has horizontal swinging movement toward and a-way from a doorway closing position. A second door 18 joined by hinges 19 to a confronting edge oi the door 10 is provided with an upwardly extending hanger 20 along its upper edge which is slidably ice supported forv movement fore and aft of a channelshape track 21 secured to the frame 11 at the upperlimits of the doorway. Thus the doors10 and 18 are intermeshed for movement between folded `and extended positions while swinging toward and away from a doorway closing position. In such closing position the leading edge of door 18 has close fitting engagement witha stop surface S as shown in FIG. l.

Bearing member 15 is suitably secured inside the track 21 while bearing member 17 is supported on the horizontal arm 22 of a bracket l23 fixed to the doonway jamb 13 by means of screws 24 and fixed to the iioor 12 by a screw 25. As shown in FIG. 2, the bearing member 17 is preferably a molded body of friction free composition, such as nylon resin. The bearing member includes a horizontally extending nose 26 having a fiat bottom surface in downward engagement with the upper surface of the arm 22 of the bracket whereby said member may slide fore and aft of said arm 22. A downwardly offset projection 27 on said bearing member extends into an elongated opening 28 in the arm 22 of the bracket and cooperates with the opposite longitudinal edges of said opening 28 to control movement of the bearing member relative to lsaid arm 22 along a fixed line of travel radially of the axis dened by the bearing member between selected limits spaced apart lengthwise of said line of travel.

The bearing member 17 also has sliding intertting contact with the edges of an elongated opening 29 in the Wall of a fixture 30 secured to the bracket 23 in overlying relation to the area occupied by the bearing member. The fixture 30 has opposite side lwalls 31 connected to opposite longitudinal margins of the arm 22 of the bracket 23 via tongues 32 forming downward extensions of said walls 31 which are received in notches in the arm 22 and Ibent inwardly against the underside of the arm 22. Tongues 33 forming longitudinal extensions of the side walls 31 are likewise engaged with notches 33a formed in the bracket 23 to further establish a fixed connection between the bracket 23 and the fixture 30.

Reference numeral 34 designates a pinion rotatably supported on said fixture for relativerotation about an axis above and in intersecting relation to the line of travel of the bearing member, and shiftable lengthwise of said axis between a first operative positionl and a second operative position. Bearings for thus lsupporting the pinion 34 include openings formed in the side walls of the fixture along a line opposite the upwardly facing surface of the nose of the bearing member. A spring 35 acting between the inner surface of the wall of said fixture about one of said bearing openings and a shoulder 36 on the pinion 34 is effective to yieldably bias the pinion against axial movement from a first operative position to the second operative position. While` thus normally maintained in said first operative position, as shown in FIG. 5, a series of teeth 37 defining the edge of the other bearing opening in the side wall of the fixture 30 has intermeshing engagement with the teeth of the pinion 34 which is effective to lock said pinion against rotation. Upwardly projecting teeth 38 provided along the upper surface of the nose 26 of the bearing member 17 have intermeshing engagement and thereby establish a-fixed position of the bearing member 17 through the locked condition of the pinion 34 under control of the teeth 38 when the pinion is in said first operative position. When the pinion 34 is shifted axially from first to second operative position (wherein the pinion occupies a rightward shifted position relative to the position as shown in FIG. 5), the teeth of the pinion 34 are disengaged from the teeth 37 whereby the pinion 34 is free to be rotated in said second operative position. Through said interengagement of the teeth 3S on the bearing member 17 with the pinion 34, movement of the bearing member 17 is thus effected through rotation of the pinion 34 when the latter is in said second operative position. Manipulation of the pinion 34 for the purpose of rotating the same to drive the bearing member 17 to selected positions and to force the pinion toward its second operative position from said first operative position may be conveniently performed with the aid of a suitable tool, such as a screw driver. The end face of the pinion 34 is accordingly provided with a screw driver slot 39.-

It will be noted from FIGS. 3 and 4 that the recess in the bearing member 17 for receiving the pivot pin 16 on the door is of elongated dimension lengthwise of the line of travel of the bearing member 17. This is to allow the pivot pin 16 to have clearancefor relative movement fore and aft of said recess in the bearing member in accordance with needed freedom of'movement of said pivot pin while the doors 10 and 18 are moved toward and away from the fixed stop surface S with which the leading edge of the door 18 has close fitting engagement when the doors 10 and 18 are in fully extended closing relation to the doorway in which said doors are operatively mounted as shown in FIG. 1. The surface of the bearing member 17 defining the upper rim of the recess in which the pivot pin 16 is received has a lower seat portion 40 with which a shoulder 41 Lon the pin 16 has downward engagement when the doors 10 and 18 `are in fully extended closing relation. An upper seat portion 42 at the other end of the recess on the bearing member 17 is engaged -by the shoulder 41 when the doors 10 and 18 are initially moved from a fully extended closed position toward a folded position. A downwardly inclined ramp 43 between said seat portions 40 and 42 allows the shoulder 41 on the pivot pin 16 to ride from one seat to the other while functioning to normally maintain the pivot pin 16 at the end of the recess containing lower seat 40 under influence of gravity tending to bias the shoulder 41 toward said seat 40. It will, of course, be understood that the pivot pin 14 and its bearing member likewise cooperate to accommodate relative movement of the pin 14 in accordance with corresponding movement of the pivot pin 16 relative to its bearing member 17.

FIG. 6 illustrates a pinion 44 which is retractible between lirst and second positions in the same manner that the pinion 34 in FIG. 5 is operable except that it is retractible in either direction axially of its mounting from a normally biased first position as shown in FIG. 6. This is accomplished by providing a coil spring 45 yieldably resisting axial movement Vof the pinion 44 in one direction and a coil spring 46 yieldably resisting similar movement of the pinion 44 in the opposite direction and by providing a separate toothed section 47 on the pinion 34 in axially spaced apart relation to the toothed section of the pinion 44 which engages the bearing member 17. By thus providing for retraction of the pinion 44 in two opposite directions, the pinion 44 is accessible from either end thereof to effect manipulation of the beaiing member 17 when the bracket is in either of two reversed positions along the doorway line of closure.

What is claimed is:

1. An adjustable support comprising a bracket and a mounting member slidable in a fixed path of travel on said bracket, an actuator member revolvably supported on said bracket and shiftable axially between first and second operative positions, means operative to yieldably retain said actuating member in said first position, teeth on said actuating member, lock means with which said teeth on said actuating member have intermeshing engagement to prevent rotation of said actuating member 4 only when the latter is in said first position, and means cooperating with said teeth on the actuating member for shifting said mounting member along said line of travel in response to rotation of said actuating member while the latter is in said second operative position.

Z. An adjustable support comprising a bracket and a mounting member slidable in a fixed path of travel on said bracket, an actuator member revolvably supported on said bracket and shiftable axially between first and second operative positions, means operative to yieldably retain said actuating member in said first position, teeth on said actuating member, lock means with which said teeth on said actuating member have intermeshing en gagement to prevent rotation of said actuating member only when the latter is in said first position, and teeth on said mounting member with which teeth on the actuating member have intermeshing engagement whereby said mounting member is shifted along said line of travel in response to `rotation of said actuating member while the latter is in said second operative position.

3. A hinge assembly 4for establishing a pivotal connection between a swinging member and a fixed supporting member, said assembly including a pivot pin secured to said swinging member, a bracket secured to said supporting member, a bearing member for pivotally mounting said pivot pin on said bracket, said bearing member having guided movement on said supporting member along a fixed path fore and aft of a line extending radially of the axis defined by said pivotal mounting of said pivot pin, an actuating member revolvably carried on said bracket for rotation about an axis in intersecting relation to a plane containing said axis and said line along which said bearing member has said guided movement, said actuating member being shiftable axially between first and second operative positions, means operative to yieldably retain said actuating member in said first position, teeth on said actuating member, lock means with which said teeth on said actuating member have intermeshing engagement to prevent rotation of said actuating member only when the latter is in said rst operative position and means for shifting said bearing member along said line of travel in response to rotation of said actuating member while said latter member is in said second operative position.

4. A hinge assembly according to claim 1, wherein means for shifting said bearing member in response to rotation of said actuating member includes an extension of said bearing member provided with teeth having intermeshing engagement with said actuating member.

5. A hinge assembly according to claim 3, wherein said bearing member and said pivot pin have interengagement along surfaces of an elongated opening in said bearing member to allow movement of said pivot pin relative to said bearing member fore and aft of' the line along which the bearing member is shiftable relative to said bracket.

6. A hinge assembly according to claim 3, wherein said line of travel of the mounting member is fixed relative to said bracket via an elongated opening in said bracket and a downwardly offset projection on said bearing member having sliding engagement with opposite edges of said opening in the bracket.

7. A hinge assembly according to claim 3, wherein means through which the actuator member has revolvable support on said bracket includes a fixture having opposed side walls fixed to opposite edge portions of the bracket and said fixture has a top -wall joining said side walls and an opening in said top wall through which said bearing member projects upwardly.

8. A hinge assembly according to claim 3, wherein said actuating member is shiftable axially between said first position and a third position when moved in a direction away from both rst and second positions, and rotation of said actuating member while the latter is in said third position is operative to shift said bearing member along said line ot travel.

5 t e 9. A hinge assembly according to claim 7, wherein References Cited by the Examiner means yieldably retaining said actuating member in said UNITED STATES PATENTS irst pos1t1on includes a spring acting between sald actuating member and the surface of a side wail of said fixture lggo el-al f th btw 'd 'd 11 f dtixt 1 amg e area e een sal S1 e Wa s o Sal ure 5 3,172,146 3/1965 Dickinson et a1 16-129 10. A hinge assembly according to claim 7, wherein said lock means includes a series of teeth defining theedge of an opening in a side Wall of said fixture in which said PATRICK A CLIFFORD Pnmay Examiner pinion has bearing support. D. L. TROUTMAN, Assistant Examiner. 

1. AN ADJUSTABLE SUPPORT COMPRISING A BRACKET AND A MOUNTING MEMBER SLIDABLE IN A FIXED PATH OF TRAVEL ON SAID BRACKET, AN ACTUATOR MEMBER REVOLVABLY SUPPORTED ON SAID BRACKET AND SHIFTABLE AXIALLY BETWEEN FIRST AND SECOND OPERATIVE POSITIONS, MEANS OPERATIVE TO YIELDABLY RETAIN SAID ACTUATING MEMBER IN SAID FIRST POSITION, TEETH ON SAID ACTUATING MEMBER, LOCK MEANS WITH WHICH SAID TEETH ON SAID ACTUATING MEMBER HAVE INTERMESHING ENGAGEMENT TO PREVENT ROTATION OF SAID ACTUATING MEMBER ONLY WHEN THE LATTER IS IN SAID FIRST POSITION, AND MEANS 